Neighborhood Bookstores 2.0
SEPTEMBER 21, 2010
Against the odds, independent bookstores are experiencing a small—and surprising—renaissance in city neighborhoods.
First came the chain stores, then the web and Amazon, then the Kindle. The closing of neighborhood bookstores in the digital age has saddened many but surprised few. However, small, independent bookstores seem to be experiencing a mini-boom of sorts. Most sell gently-used books (the rise of recycling and distaste for waste is one explanation) and most are carefully curated with their owners’ and customers’ interest in mind.
In Brooklyn, indie bookshops have been arriving in notable numbers. Greenlight bookstore has been winning readers’ hearts amid the brownstones of Fort Greene. Book Thug Nation, Open Air Modern (Williamsburg) and Boulevard Books & Cafe (Dyker Heights) are newcomers as well. The newly-minted Mast on Avenue A, with its super-hip-lit inventory, late hours and casual atmosphere, as well as already established stores like Book Culture on 114th Street and Posman Books in Chelsea Market, represent the Manhattan-side renaissance. Several of the new stores’ added function as neighborhood community centers—coinciding with a growing appreciation for all things local—is a likely reason the little shops are thriving.
This recent HuffPo piece—and in-depth coverage of the topic in New York Magazine—confirms the trend, adding that several of the new-old-school stores have managed to make a healthy profit.
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